Thursday, May 16, 2013

1963 GIBSON SG LES PAUL

"For sale is this vintage 1963 Gibson SG Custom electric guitar. This particular example, serial number 147986, is in extremely excellent original condition and includes the original hard shell case. With a magnificently well-preserved Polaris White finish, this guitar would appear near mint if not for the otherwise inevitable surface wear of the gold parts. This low circulation example has only had 2 owners, and the condition certainly attests for such a provenance. Those who have been searching realize just how difficult it is to find a great SG Custom for a reasonable price, so take advantage of this limited offer, because if it doesn't sell within a couple days, I'd rather keep it.

This '63 SG Custom is the first post-Les Paul designated variety, which I feel happens to be the best. This transitional version has (1) PAF (middle) and (2) Pat. No. (neck and bridge) pickups., though as we all know, aside from what it says on the decal, all (3) pickups are identical short-magnet PAFs. Additionally, this example has a Maestro Lyre vibrato as opposed to the virtually useless sideways Vibrola. It also features Kluson Sealfast tuners rather than the earlier clunky Grover tuning machines. Regardless of what collectibility dictates, all of these subtle differences certainly enhanced the overall performance of the SG Custom. Having owned many, I can offer from personal experience, that in my opinion, the '63 SG is actually superior to it's SG Les Paul Custom predecessor.

This guitar weighs a very light 7.5 lbs., and both the bridge and neck pickups are highly prodigious in output, measuring an impressive 8.6Ω and 7.54Ω. The neck features a somewhat large slim taper profile, and is not the shallow thin variety commonly attributed to earlier 60's SG models.

This guitar was purchased by the previous (second) owner from the original owner approximately 8 years ago. Believe it or not, according to him he paid $16,500.00 in late-2005, which at the time wasn't ridiculous considering several similar examples sold on eBay in 2007 for nearly $30K! Either way, the second owner claimed he had played several, and fell in love with this particular one, so he didn't mind paying a premium, especially for one without circulation from the original owner. He claimed to use it jut a little bit before taking it in to be setup, when his luthier convinced him it needed the pots replaced and a re-fret... well, he unfortunately fell for it. The original harness is included, bu the original frets are not. It now plays fantastic, feels great, and sounds amazing, but it is no longer 100% all original. It can be restored to be 100% aside from the frets, which are near exact Fretless Wonder specs. Otherwise, there are absolutely no issues, no breaks, no cracks, no repairs, and no modifications.

Aside from some very minimal weather-checking, there is no fading nor discoloration to the white finish whatsoever. There is one ding on the face of the body, and several near invincible superficial denim rivet marks on the back. It displays typical paint chip loss around the nut and neck heel, which is expected with a guitar like this in any condition. It is very clean, and very stunning in person.

An investment-quality piece perfect for a player with a healthy budget or a collector that enjoys both form and function, do not let this one get away, because surely it won't last long. With dealers asking $16,000.00 on average for comparable examples ($14,000-$19,900) this is priced to proprogate a fast wholesale transaction..."